Railway-track electric annunciator



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J w LATTIG RAILWAY TRACK ELECTRIC ANNUNOIATOR.- .No.'502,627.'

Pat'bnt e'd Augll, 1893.

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(No-Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

J. w. LATTIG. RAILWAY TRACK ELECTRIC ANN UNGIATOE No. 502,627}.Patented-AugQl', 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JACOB WILLIAM LATTIG, OF EASTON,PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK ELECTRIC YAN'N u NCIATO I SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 502,627, dated August 1, 1893.

Application filed June 14, 1893.

To aZZ whom itmayconcern:

Be it known that I, J AOOB WILLIAM LAT- TIG, of Easton, in the State ofPennsylvania,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Track" Electric An nunciators, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to what is known as a track annunciator, which maybe generally described as an instrument for controlling the circuit ofan electric bell or otherdevice for announcing the approach of trains tostations-the instrument itself being connected to the track byintermediaries through which the depression of the rails due to thepassage of a train is caused to actuate the instrument to open or close,as the case may be, the circuit controlled by it, the arrangement beingsuch that the instrument is restored to its normal condition after thetrain has passed the point in the track where the instrument isconnected. Such an annu-nciator broadly considered is not new with me.Many attempts have been made in this direction, but so far as I amaware, they all have been more or less defective in that the instrumentshave required frequent readjustment to adapt them to the changedcondition of the track' brought about from time to time by frost,retamping, &c. J

It is my object to provide against this d fficulty, and to make theinstrument one which will automatically compensate for changes in thetrack, or in other words will automatically adapt itself to suchchanges. To' this end I combine with the vibratory contact lever bywhose movement the circuit is closed and opened, stops which limittheirange of vibration of the lever; and at some point in the mechanismby which motion is imparted from the track rail to the lever. Iinterpose a friction joint whereby after the lever has been moved to itsextreme limit in either direction, further movement of the actuat ngmechanism between the track and the point where the friction joint islocated is permitted by the slip of the'one part-ofthejolnt upon theother. With such an instrument as this, 11":

. the track hasbeen'in anywise altered by the frost or otherwise, thefirst train thereafter passing will readjust the instrument to suitSerial No. 477,572. (No model.)

such changed condition, after which it will work just the same as whenoriginally applied and adjusted to the track.

The nature of my invention willbe' readily understood-by reference tothe accompanyingdrawings in which Figure Tie a plan of the instrumentwith the cover removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with theside of the box or case of the instrument removed. Fig. 3 is a viewrepresenting the manner of connecting the instrument to the track. Fig.4 is a front elevation of the stop post, between stops on which thecontact lever plays.

A is the box or case which contains the working parts. Its bottom israised some distance above the base or pedestal A in order to make roomfor the connection by which the moving parts of the instrument areworked.

B is the contact lever, fulcrumed'on the shaft 0, and playing betweenthe stops a, b, of the stop post D, by which its range of movement islimited.

E is a spring jawed contact fixed to a supporting bracket F and adaptedto be entered by the contact lever when the latter is raised. Theterminal wires of the circuit to be controlled (this circuit containingthe electric bell .or other analogous device) are shown at m, y,electrically connected the one w to the lever, the other y to the fixedcontact E. When the lever is up and between the jaws of the fixedcontact, the circuit is closed. When it is down (as in Fig. 2) thecircuit is open. The supporting bracket F, the stop post D, and thecontact lever are of course suitably insulated, as will be understoodwithout further explanation.

I pass now to the mechanism for actuating the contact lever. The shaft 0is supported by and journaled in suitable bracket bearings G. Upon it isfixed a pinion c, which is engaged by a vertical rack bar (1 supportedin suitable guides in which it can move up and down. The lower end ofthis rack bar, passes down through the bottom of the box, and to it isconnected the rail by some suitable intermediary by which the movementof the rail due to the passage of a train, is caused to impart verticalmovement to the instance consists of the lever e, which as shown in Fig.3 is fulcrumed on a suitable foundation independent of the rail, and hasits longer arm pinned to the lower end of the rack bar, and its shorterarm clipped to the rail R. In this way when the rail is depressed, thelever 6, will be caused to lift the rack bar, thus revolving the pinionc and its shaft 0 in a direction to move the contact lever down againstits lower stop I), and out of connection with contact E, in whichposition it is represented in Fig. 2. As soon as the train passes, therail will rise, with the effect of moving the lever e in a direction topull down the rack bar d, thus causing the contact lever to rise andmake connection with the contact E.

It remains to describe the friction joint which, as hereinbefore stated,is to be interposed in the operating mechanism at some point between thecontact lever and the rail. In this instance it is formed by the twofriction disks H, I, mounted on shaft 0. The disk H is fast to and moveswith the shaft 0; the disk I is loose on the shaft, and to it is solidlyfixed the contact lever. The disk I is spring pressed toward the disk H,and their meeting faces are armed with friction pads formed in thisinstance by circular pieces of leather f inserted in recesses formed inthe interior opposite faces of the two disks H I. The spring pressureupon the loose member I of this friction joint is exerted by a spiralspring 9 encircling the shaft C and confined between a washer h at theend next to the cog wheel 0, and a loose washer t' at the opposite end,this washer bearing against the end of the hub of the loose member I ofthe friction joint. Under this arrangement it will be seen that allmovement of the actuating mechanism in excess of that required to movethe contact lever against one or the other of its stops at, b, is takencare of at the friction joint, the one disk in this case slipping on theother after the contact lever has brought up against its stop a or 19.Thus when the depression or rise of the rail exceeds the limit requisiteto carry the contact lever from a to b or vice versa, the balance of themovement is expended at the friction joint and does not pass beyond thatpoint; and in whichever direction the movement may be, the instrument,at the completion of that movement, will be adjusted and ready to movein the opposite direction upon the very slightest movementin theopposite direction of the rail. In this connection it should be notedthat the movement of the rail necessary to move the contact leverbetween limits is exceedingly small, the motion being greatlyexaggerated an extent as to throw the instrument out of adjustment, itwill by the passing of the next train be readjusted and adapted to thenew condition of things. The movement of the rail being at leastsufficient to move the contact lever at least a distance equal to thatbetween its two stops a and b, then, whenever the lever brings upagainst the stopaor b, the balance of the movement beyond that needed tobring the lever to the specified position will be expended at thefriction joint, and the lever will be in adjusted position, to respondinstantly to the return movement of the rail.

The normal condition of the circuit may be either open or closed. In theexample given in the drawings, it isnormally closed..

the normal position of the contact lever being up and in contact withthe fixed contact E. In Fig. 2 the lever is shown down and in theposition it will occupy whenever the rail is depressed. If the circuitis one which should be normally open, then the contact E would be below,instead of above the contact lever, and the down movement of the latterwould close instead of open the circuit.

For the purpose of taking up all lost motion, so that the contact levermay respond at once to the movement of the rail, I find it desirable toexert a downward spring or yielding pressure upon the rack bar (1. Thespring pressure device for this purpose consists in the present instanceof an angle or elbow lever j, fast upon a shaft or axle k journaled inbearings Z attached to the sides of the box; one arm of the leveroverhangs the top of the rack bar, and to the other arm is connected apull spring, by which the overhanging arm is caused to bear down uponthe rack bar. To further insure the taking up of lost motion I canemploy in connection with the lever c (Fig. 3) a rubber or other spring5 placed above the long end of the lever and there held in place by asuitable yoke t straddling the lever and bolted at its lower ends to thelever supporting frame. This spring bears downwardly on the long end ofthe lever and tends to take up lost motion, if any there be.

Having described my invention and the best way now known to me ofcarrying the same into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-- 1. In combination with the rock shaft and mechanismfor imparting movement thereto, two disks, one fast on the shaft, theother loose thereon and spring pressed toward its fellow, the contactlever carried by the loose disk, and stops for limiting the movement ofsaid lever, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore setforth.

2. The combination with the rock shaft, the pinion thereon, and thesliding rack-bar engaging the pinion, of the friction joint comprisingthe two disks H, I, the one fast on the shaft, the other loose thereonand spring pressed toward its fellow, the contact lever or arm carriedby the loose disk, and stops for IIO the spring pressure device fortaking up lost motion, arranged to exert constant pressure upon the rackbar in a direction opposite to 10' that in which the bar is caused tomove by the depression of the rail to which it is connected,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB WILLIAM LATTIG,

Witnesses J OHN BRUNNER, CHAs. B. BRUNNER.

